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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27112736">chin up, princess</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/smuttytaelien/pseuds/smuttytaelien'>smuttytaelien</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, Bottom Ten, Homophobia, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun &amp; Suh Youngho | Johnny Are Best Friends, M/M, Prince Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Prince Qian Kun, Protective Suh Youngho | Johnny, Top Suh Youngho | Johnny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:07:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,555</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27112736</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/smuttytaelien/pseuds/smuttytaelien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"chin up, princess," johnny always said. "don't let your crown fall."</p><p>Johnny is Ten's loyal guard whose face has never been seen by the prince. One day, Ten's catches sight of the man protecting him, and he falls in love. </p><p> </p><p>[ johnten royalty!au ]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>98</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Johnny felt his mother's gentle hands, calloused from days of cooking, shake his shoulders. Her soothing voice coaxed his eyes open and she placed a soft kiss on his forehead. </p><p>“Its time for you to get ready, my love.” She reminded him, just as she did every other morning. Johnny knew his roommate and fellow guard, Jaehyun, judged him for still being woken up by his mom, but the princes demanding schedule took any available time with her away. The mornings were their thing, and even if he felt like a child sometimes, he would take his mother's beautiful sleepy smiles over the world.</p><p>“Don't wanna," Johnny whined and rolled away from her hands. His mother stood, told Jaehyun something that registered in Johnny's brain as fog, and left the room. </p><p>“Get up, lazy ass.” Jaehyun smacked his butt through the covers and pushed his body off the edge. Jaehyun was the complete opposite of his mother; all rough hands and gravelly voice. Since they were kids, Jaehyun had always been the rougher, more manly of the two, so when Johnny and Jaehyun both got jobs as guards at the palace, Johnny was shocked. Really though, seeing how close his mother was with the Queen, he should have known better. “We're going to be late, and unlike you, I don't want to die.” </p><p>Johnny scoffed and began his morning routine. “I have never said that.” The sun began to peek over the wispy clouds settled over the kingdom, signaling six a.m. had arrived and with it the usual bustle of the castle workers. </p><p>“‘Just kill me, Jae!’ I'm gonna kill myself!’” Jaehyun mocked him, voice high-pitched and nasally. Johnny punched his armor-clad shoulder good-naturedly but winced as his fist collided with metal.</p><p>“I forgot how much that hurt,” Johnny winced, slipping his own crested chest piece over his head. </p><p>“Nah, bro, you're just weak. I think you've been spending too much time with your little prince.” Jaehyun chuckled at Johnny's insulted glare before his sharp eyes disappeared under the required headpiece. Decades earlier, the kingdom had been invaded, the guards kidnapped and tortured for information. The King decided as a way to protect the identities of the guards, who, naturally, knew nearly everything about the royals, that they would be required to keep their identities secret from the rest of the family. The Queen and the King knew Johnny because of his mother, but every other guard was a complete mystery to them. The only person in the kingdom who knew the identities of the guards was the royal advisor; a thin older man who croaked when he walked further than five steps. Johnny hated him.</p><p>“Whatever Jung.” </p><p>"Just go before the maids start yelling.” Jaehyun chuckled ad shoved him out of their room. Servants in the kingdom were respected by many, despite the stereotypes surrounding them, so the royals treated them kindly. Each servant was to share a room with a trusted friend or family member, but the rooms were decently sized and nicely furnished. Johnny loved every second he spent in the castle, especially the long hours spent fawning over a man far too rich for him. </p><p>“Good morning, Johnny!” Ten greeted him cheerfully, the smile on his face outshining the sunlight streaming through the heavy velvet curtains. Johnny nodded in retaliation. Guards were allowed to speak, but Johnny found himself tongue-tied in the prince's presence. “Do me a favor, please, and punch Chaeyoung in the face, princes orders.” Ten glared at the door he came from.</p><p>“You know I can't do that, my prince,” Johnny mumbled. </p><p>Ten shrugged and flicked his hair away from his eyes. “Sure you can, I told you too.” The door opened, and a frantic Chaeyoung peeked her flushed face into the hallway. The poor maid, and also one of Ten’s closes friends, was balancing a mountain of fancy tops and coat jackets in her arms. Johnny felt bad for her. He knew all too well of Tens' stubbornness. </p><p>“Prince Ten, please come back! We need to finish your outfit for the masquerade ball this evening.” She pleaded with him. Ten groaned, rolling his eyes. <br/> <br/>“But everything is so tight.” He argued. “I'm a free man, Chae, I need to breathe.” The prince unbuttoned the top of his silk sleep shirt and flung his arms to the side like he was making a shitty version of the Titanic. Johnny heard more than felt the clank of Ten’s outstretched fingers against his armor and cringed. “Jesus fucking ow. Can you even see through that?” Ten waved his fingers in Johnny’s face, following the action with obnoxious kissy lips. </p><p>Johnny almost tore his helmet off just to plant his lips against the princes. </p><p>“Yes, I can, and you look completely ridiculous,” he said instead, keeping his tone playful so as not to appear unprofessional. Ten ignored his comment and began to prod at the metal encompassing Johnny’s slender body. </p><p>“I need to ask my mom about updating the armor. That is the ugliest shade of aluminum I have ever seen. Plus it's about time I see your face, isn't it?” Ten asked with a grin, cocking his head to the side. Johnny tugs at his lip with his top teeth, hating the way he stomped out Ten’s hope each time he asked. </p><p>“My prince, you know your father has strict rules about that. It is for our safety.”</p><p>“Fuck my safety. I just know there's a magnificent smile connected to this voice, not to mention.” Ten dragged his eyes down Johnny’s body in a manner he assumed was seductive (it was), and winked suggestively. Chaeyoug squeaked.</p><p>“Prince Ten!“ She scolded. “Get in here before the King sees you.”</p><p>Ten sighed and pinched the bridge of his slender nose. “I’m coming.” </p><p>____________</p><p>Johnny stood by the wall, gazing over the masked faces for any suspicious activity. He visibly startled when Ten sidled up next to him. The prince's smile was polite but unamused, trained by years of watching his father. </p><p>“Have I ever told you how much I hate these parties?” </p><p>“Every day, my prince.” </p><p>“Well I'll say it again, I hate these. Like damn, I know my dad wants me to get married but can't he use like, tinder, or something? Isn't this a bit much.” Ten removed his feathery mask with a frustrated sigh. Johnny chuckled softly at the prince's dramatics. Even after years in his presence, the lack of filter never failed to amuse him. </p><p>“You're hot, I just know it.” Ten stated.  “Can you take the helmet off, please. Just once. I'll be a good boy if you do.” Ten batted his eyelashes and leaned against Johnny's arm, much like the girls in the anime Johnny used to watch. He gently pushed the prince away, ignoring his pout. </p><p>“My prince,” Johnny spluttered, feeling the heat creeping up his neck. “That is not appropriate.”</p><p>Ten stuck out his tongue. “You're so lame, Johnny.” His witty response was interrupted by a honey voice, attached to a shockingly beautiful set of lips.</p><p>“Prince Ten?” The slim man asked, removing his own mask to reveal a dreamy face. Johnny swore he heard Ten’s heart start pounding. </p><p>“How may I aid you, sir?” The Prince questioned politely, but it'd take a deaf person not to hear the seduction dripping from his tongue.</p><p>The man laughed and shook his head. “No need to be formal, my prince. My name is Taeyong.”</p><p>Johnny recoiled at his honorifics. Sure, it was custom for citizens of the kingdom to address the prince as such, but never had Johnny heard the words paired with a stunningly attractive face. If asked, Johnny would deny any jealous claims, but he couldn't deny that the urge to punch Taeyong was very strong. </p><p>“May we dance?” Taeyong offered his hand to the young prince. Even his slender figures oozed with grace and delicacy; the complete opposite of Johnny’s clumsy movements and sparatic limbs. </p><p>Ten gives him a simple once over and shrugs. “We may.” He took the hand offered to him after replacing his mask over his starry eyes and pulled Taeyong to the spacious dance floor. The sexuality of the Prince was not unknown to the kingdom, but many still stared as the two beautiful men occupied the floor. Johnny watched, hopelessly, as Ten was spun in a dainty circle, the smile reserved only for their morning banter hovering on his lips.</p><p>He heard a familiar clunk of armor and rolled his eyes. </p><p>“Aw, your little prince left you all awone.” Jaehyun teased, tickling where Johnny’s chin would be and cooing like a child. </p><p>Johnny shoved him away and groaned. “Don't you have a cake to guard or something?”</p><p>“Nope,” Jaehyun replied, popping the ‘p’. “Kun left.”</p><p>“He what?” Johnny hissed. He grabbed his friend by his collar and pulled him closer so the guests could not hear of the oldest princes whereabouts.</p><p>“He left with his girlfriend. Don't worry so much, Johns. You gotta loosen up.”</p><p>“Jesus Christ, the King is going to kill us,” Johnny cursed, glancing at the King’s throne. The man had abandoned his comfortable chair in favor of communicating cheerily with the guests, and Johnny knew he would soon try and find his sons. </p><p>“Not us, only me. But he might kill you for letting that man get handsy with his son.” Jaehyun snorted and gestured to the dance floor. Johnny instantly released his hold on the cheeky guard. </p><p>“What?” </p><p>True to Jaehyun's words, Taeyong's graceful hands had slipped further down the prince's spine, barely hovering over his butt in a manner that suggested it was not accidental. Johnny glared at his friend, even if he couldn't see it, before striding over to the duo. The other dancers parted for him, all curious to see what had worked up the usually motionless guard. </p><p>“I'm sorry, sir. By order of the King, you are not permitted to touch my prince in such manner.” Johnny informed Taeyong monotonously while pulling Ten into his arms. Ten struggled against his hold for a moment but eventually accepted his virgin fate. </p><p>“Ah, I see.” Taeyong had a knowing look in his eyes that made Johnny shiver. “My apologies. I'll be on my way then.” The man left without complaints while the other patrons watched him leave. After a few moments, the stares trickled to the occasional glance, and Ten wiggled from his grasp. Damn his silk shirts. </p><p>“Johnny, what the fuck,” Ten whined.</p><p>“Don't do that again.” Johnny stalked away from the offended prince until he felt a tug on his armor. Tens' arms were crossed over his chest, eyebrow raised in blatant disrespect.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, says who?” He challenged. Johnny grabbed the Prince's arm and crouched down until they were on eye level with each other. His tone was stern and unforgiving with the promise of punishment if Ten dared to disobey. </p><p>“Says me, and you will listen.” </p><p>Ten’s serious stance relaxed and the man whistled, impressed. "See, I knew you were hot." He flashed one last flirty wink at a dumbfounded Johnny and sauntered away. Jaehyun laughed loudly in the background, but Johnny was still locked on the sway of Tens' hips. </p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. hello, beautiful</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Prince Ten?” Ten hummed in response to Chaeyoung's call, upper body dangling dangerously from his bed. Chaeyoung smiled at his childish behavior before continuing her orders. “Your father is calling for you.” </p><p>Ten gagged and sat up. His hoodie fell daintly from his pale shoulders, and he shivered at the cool night air filtering through his window. “God, what does he want?” He asked while pulling his Stitch slippers over his feet. </p><p>Chaeyoung fiddled with the bracelet clasped around her wrist. “I think he has a suitor for you. She’s beautiful.”</p><p>“She?”</p><p>Chaeyoug nodded. </p><p>“He knows better,” Ten huffed, clearly annoyed. Chaeyoung gave him an apologetic smile that he dismissed with a shake of his head. “Its alright, Chae.” He skirted around her, almost slamming into Johnny, who was due to leave for the night very shortly. Johnny was Ten’s day guard, and when the sun completely slipped behind the clouds and the clocks struck nine, he was replaced with someone Ten hadn't bothered to know. </p><p>He apologized softly and ran to the throne room as fast as his slippers on the tile would allow him. The massive throne room never failed to take his breath away, but with the added irritation of the girl standing sheepishly by his father's feet, he swore he would have an asthma attack. Ten, despite his obvious gayness, could appreciate a pretty girl when he saw one, and the young lady was extremely attractive. He wondered for a moment if Johnny would like her, but the thought made his stomach swirl uncomfortably. </p><p>His father noticed him lingering creepily by the door and waved him over with a cheerful grin. “Ten, my son! Come join us.” </p><p>Ten padded over, tugging at his loose hoodie self-consciously. “Who is she?” His distaste with the situation was clear from his dismissive and unamused tone, but the girl's beautiful cat eyes never dulled. </p><p>“Hello, my prince. I am Hwang Yeji, daughter of Hwang Jinyoung.” </p><p>Ten choked and cocked an eyebrow at his flustered father. “Jesus, dad, you brought a Hwang home? What would mom say? You know she hates Hyunjin.” It was common knowledge in the kingdom that regardless of the Hwang’s high ranking, the Queen despised them. She found Hyunjin in particular to be a complete homosexual nuisance. Ten disagreed. Hyunjin was by far one of the best kissers in the kingdom and their two-month fling had been magical. Kim Seungmin was a lucky guy. </p><p>“Ten! Be polite.” The King scolded him but spoke no further to defend himself. </p><p>“Fine. Hello, Yeji,” he greeted the dazzling girl. “May I ask why you are here?”</p><p>Yeji’s permanent expression faltered, and she stumbled over her words. “Um, your father found us to be compatible. If you'll have me, that is.” She added the last part with an impish smile that could swoon even Johnny into stripping off his armor. Ten sighed, deeply regretting what he was about to say. </p><p>“Dad, I'm gay. I've told you every time you bring in a girl for me, that I don't fucking like girls! What do I have to do for you to accept that? You want me to suck someone's dick in front of you or something?” His volume raised considerably, voice booming in the spacious hall. Yeji fidgetted awkwardly with the hem of her dress. </p><p>The King regarded him with cold eyes and a deadly grimace. “Ten, that is enough.”</p><p>“Yeji, I'm sorry. You're beautiful, but as you just heard, I don't like girls.” His tone softened at her understanding nod. “Please, allow one of the guards to escort you back home.”</p><p>“I'm sorry, if I had known I never would have come.” She seemed genuinely guilty for her unknown intrusion, and Ten wished he had a sister like Hwang Yeji. </p><p>“That's alright, just tell your dad to send Hyunjin next time, okay?” </p><p>They shared a brief laugh before Yeji was escorted out. When the doors slammed closed behind her, Ten’s carefree smirk vanished, and he whirled on his fuming father.</p><p>“Dad, what the hell?”</p><p>“You're asking me?” The King stood from his throne, but Ten didn't back down. “Ten, you can be gay all you want, but I will not allow you to be so crude in front of our guests.” </p><p>“No, I fucking can't be gay all I want, because apparently, you don't get it! I don't want to marry a girl, dad, and I'm sick of your tinder balls and matchmaking. This is not ancient Mesopotamia for fucks sake. Plus, Kun is older than me, might I remind you, and he has a girlfriend more than willing to have your stupid grandkids.” </p><p>The King crossed his arms and nodded. “I am aware, yes, but ten-”</p><p>“No more, dad, just stop. I want to find a guy who I choose. You and mom have taken every choice from me since I was born. Can't you allow me to at least choose who I love?” He was shocked by his own confessions, not anticipating his father to ever hear of his turmoil. The King was stoic, polite, lacking any warmth parents supposedly carried. </p><p>“I'm sorry you feel that way.” He wasn't sorry, and the realization almost set Ten into a fit. He breathed in, counted to ten, and dismissed himself.</p><p>“I need to leave. Don't send anyone after me.” The prince turned his back on his father and strode briskly to the doors leading to his room and the courtyard. </p><p>“Ten, it's late.”</p><p>“Great, I hope I get mugged.” He spat out sarcastically, flicking his father off when the man looked away to scratch thoughtfully at his beard. The lights from the hallway barely did anything to dispel the shadows lingering in the corners and peeking around doorframes, making Ten rethink his outdoor decision. He glanced at the blackness of the courtyard and made a hasty decision to instead bother his favorite maid in the kitchens downstairs. </p><p>Ten pulled his hoodie over his head and descended the stairs with the grace of a drunk elephant. His parents were invisible to him in the basement. They couldn't hear him, criticize him, control him, and he relished in the momentary freedom. It wasn't often he had time to sneak away to spend time with Mrs. Suh. The lady helped raise him while his parents trained Kun, and he could safely say he trusted the gentle woman with his life. </p><p>He slid open the kitchen door, and seeing it empty, felt his pent up anger ooze from his pores. Ten, in general, was not a violent person, but when the cork on his emotions popped, shit usually hit the fan. Within a second, the silverware scattered on the counters and the island were thrown to the floor, creating a crash that he ignored. He continued his violent escapade on the kitchen until a pair of warm, tender arms pulled him into a comfortable embrace. Tears pooled at the corner of his eyes and spilled over his lips with each horrendous sob that shook his body. Mrs. Suh hugged him closer, whispering things only a mother should into the boy's ear. She motioned for a fellow servant that had heard the commotion to fetch Johnny and Ten’s parents before averting her attention back to Ten. </p><p>“Mom?” Johnny yawned. She pointed at the gorgeously broken angel in her arms and Johnny blanked. His mother knew the rules, and she had called him regardless. His confliction quickly subsided when Ten’s reddened eyes found his under the sucky kitchen lighting. </p><p>Ten didn't recognize the man standing shirtless by the kitchen door, but he made it his goal to become aquatinted when he felt more mentally stable. He was hot, shirtless, and staring so fondly at Ten that the man almost melted in Mrs. Suh’s embrace. </p><p>“Yo, Johnny, what the hell was that noise?” Jaehyun tripped blindly into the kitchen, blanket wound so tightly around his head he could have suffocated. Ten gasped softly, Jaehyun threw his blanket to the side, and Mrs. Suh smirked.</p><p>“Johnny?” The Prince asked. Johnny confirmed with a swift nod and held his hands out for Ten.</p><p>“Hello, beautiful,” Johnny whispered into his hair, loving Ten’s cool hands on his bare back. The security Johnny’s hug brought to Ten’s foggy mind was exactly like his mothers, and Ten couldn't resist the urge to snuggle further into Johnny’s neck, feeling the gentle vibrations of laughter the action elicited. </p><p>The intimate atmosphere dissipated when the King and his very agitated queen ran into the room with flushed faces.</p><p>“Ten, what's going on? My god, what did you do?” The queen screamed. Ten ignored her, and the action didn't go unnoticed. If his father was a stickler for respect, his narcissistic mother was an addict. She thrived off of fear and demanded people to kiss her feet. Ten refused, unlike Kun, and the Queen hated him for it.</p><p>She reached out and snagged the fabric of Ten’s hoodie with her manicured nails. When she got a deadly grip on his skin, she snatched him from Johnny’s arms. His security crumbled, and in a momentary lapse of sheer panic, he screamed, clawing at his mother until she shoved him to avoid his blind hits. Before Ten could hit the ground, his father hauled him up by the collar.</p><p>“You will respect your Queen,” he hissed, slapping his hand against Ten’s tear-stained face with a force powered by unexplainable disgust. Ten was hardly aware of his surroundings anymore, but he recognized Jaehyun’s gravelly voice and Johnny’s threat that sobered him up considerably.</p><p>“I'm afraid I can't let you do that again,” Johnny spoke with a calm iciness that embedded itself in the King’s veins and made him shiver. </p><p>“Johnny, stand back and let me discipline my son.” </p><p>Johnny remained unfazed, reaching out and shoving the King’s shoulder. “With all due respect.” Johnny’s tone suggested that he was debt-free. “I live to protect him, so you're going to need to leave.” </p><p>The King sized up Johnny’s prominent abs, fiery eyes, and angry best friend and decided discipline wasn't worth the damage he would receive. He grabbed his wife’s hand tenderly and slipped from the kitchen. Johnny made certain they had retreated to their chambers before shutting the doors and encasing the room in a silence interrupted only by his steady breathing. </p><p>“I'm sorry,” Ten mumbled, composing himself and softly leaving Jaehyun’s hold.</p><p>“You should go to bed, my prince.” Johnny led him to the top of the stairs, pulled his hood over his head, and kissed his forehead gently. His retreating figure left Ten with a fluttering heart and burning cheeks. </p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. wow, darling</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ten woke up giddy from the night before. His hoodie still faintly smelled of Johnny's cologne, and to say he didn't take a little sniff would be a lie. His smile widened when he realized that the man in mind was standing outside of his door with his stupidly beautiful voice and abs of a god. Ten jumped from his bed, startling Chaeyoung who was choosing his clothes for the day. He greeted her briefly and sprinted to his door, throwing it open and ignoring the violence with which it slammed against his wall. Johnny cursed, surprised by the noise.</p><p>“Good morning, handsome.” Even Ten's sleepy voice was doused in blatant happiness. “How’d you sleep knowing you totally flustered royalty?” </p><p>Johnny chuckled fondly and sighed. “Man, I wouldn't know. I stayed up all night thinking about you.” His flirting was cheesy, yes, but it made Ten’s heart rate speed up. His pulse slammed against his neck as a reminder that he most certainly harbored feelings for the man standing in front of him.</p><p>“Did you really?” He questioned meekly, all of a sudden overwhelmed by the intensity of his attraction, which was apparent by the cherry red blush resting high on his cheekbones. Johnny's tense posture relaxed, and he reached out to gently trace Ten’s jaw.</p><p>“Of course I did, angel.” And the sincerity in his tone made Ten believe he had. He imagined a shirtless (he may have drooled) sleepy Johnny with a blissed-out smile and his eyes trained on the ceiling. He imagined Johnny wishing for him to be there, cuddled under his arms as they fell into a fitless sleep. He would have continued his fantasies, probably imagined himself into a frenzy, if not for Chaeyoung’s soft call.</p><p>“Prince Ten?” She tapped his shoulder and he turned to her, smile on full display for her weak heart.</p><p>“What's up, Chae?” </p><p>Chaeyoung’s kind eyes flickered, and Ten's smile finally faded. “The King has brought another suitor.” Ten opened his mouth to refuse, but she cut him off with a hand over his mouth. “And before you argue, it's a man this time. He’s quite the looker.” </p><p>Whatever haze Ten lived in quickly dispersed. He glanced over at Johnny, whose shoulders tensed once again, and realized that love stood no chance against status to his father. Chaeyoung, beautiful, naive, had managed to destroy Ten’s reverie with a simple sentence, and the King would try his hardest to destroy his heart, as well. </p><p>Despite this, Ten argued, even knowing it was pointless. “Tell him I don't want to marry someone he chooses when I already know who I want.” He heard Johnny shift beside him.</p><p>“Actually, I overheard the Queen and King talking last night. I am regretful to admit that that is what he fears. He said he would rather die than see you with some servant boy.” Chaeyoung scoffed at the hierarchical disrespect, Johnny following with a quiet ‘fuck royals’. “Who is he anyway?” She asked, brushing her hair behind her ears and handing Ten his outfit for the day.</p><p>Ten smiled when he thought of the clunky bear next to him. “He is someone very dear to me, Chae. I owe my life to him, and that is all you need to know.” </p><p>“Yes, my prince.” <br/> <br/>The trio hovered awkwardly outside of Ten’s door after the declaration. Chaeyoung appeared apprehensive, and Ten raised an eyebrow in question when she met his curious gaze.</p><p> “I am sorry to ask this of you, but can you please join him in the banquet hall? I have my orders.” She requested, clearly fearful. Ten sighed but agreed nonetheless. He gave Johnny a subtle nudge and slipped into his room. Chaeyoung continued her duties, so used to the prince's naked body that she didn't spare him a glance. He shimmied his skinny jeans up to his dainty legs and pulled the silk button-up over his shoulders. Tucking the front, he left the room to go to the banquet hall, not forgetting his Stitch slippers on the way out. He heard Johnny laugh at his outfit and flicked him off with a playful smirk before leaving the hallway. </p><p>The chatter from the banquet hall alerted him of another presence, one that was apparently important enough to invite to a delicious evening breakfast rather than a nightly excursion. He entered the hall, and his father waved him closer. </p><p>“Good morning, Ten.” He greeted pleasantly, even patting his son's shoulder in a way that screamed fatherly love. Ten almost gagged. </p><p>“Father.” Was his returned response, lacking the King’s pleasantry. </p><p>“Come eat with us, I have someone I'd like for you to become acquainted with.” The King led him to the long dining table, stacked high with traditional American breakfast foods and delicacies far too nice for any duke or lord.  </p><p>“I am sure you do.” Ten mumbled to himself, although truthfully, his interests had been piqued. The mop of black hair peeking above their fancy chairs gave away no hints as to who the mysterious man could be, but when Ten finally sat own and saw his pretty grin, he assumed fellow royalty. </p><p>“Hello, Prince Ten. I am Prince Kim Doyoung from the neighboring kingdom of Sahri.” Doyoung was kind enough, and Ten truly hated how disrespectful he was about to become. His carefree smile from the morning had mutated into a sarcastic grimace that made his father cringe. </p><p>“That's nice. I hope you find your limited stay pleasant, Prince Doyoung. I am unsure of what my father has bribed you with to try and court me, but I must eliminate the possibility because I, unfortunately, already have somebody.” He declined, voice firm. </p><p>Doyoung laughed condescendingly, and Ten’s confidence wavered. The knowing exchange passed between the prince and his father did not go unseen, and Ten involuntarily shivered at the possession with which Doyoung regarded him. </p><p>“I heard you were hard to reason with. Plus, your servant boy has nothing on my riches and status.” Doyoung bragged. Ten was unamused.</p><p>“Maybe not, but he definitely has you beat in the charm department.”</p><p>“Regardless, this is not an arrangement you may escape, Prince Ten. You see, your father has given me your hand in marriage in exchange for an alliance with my kingdom.” </p><p>Ten gasped quietly and glared at the king, who nodded curtly. He pushed his chair back with an echoing screech and slammed his hands on the table. </p><p>“Absolutely the fuck not. I'll be tortured a thousand times before I become your bitch,” He spat at Doyoung. “Have a good day.” With that, he left the hall. His father called after him, but Ten dismissed his scoldings. He ran to his room as soundless tears trailed down his cheeks and stained the smooth skin of his neck. </p><p>“Ten? What's wrong, darling?” Johnny immediately asked when he noticed the sadness pooling across Ten’s captivating eyes. The Prince tried to reply, but the sob that he forced down finally escaped. </p><p>His vision began to blur, his mind repeating the same word in his head like a scratchy record.</p><p>marriagemarriagemarriage</p><p>noescapenoescape </p><p>“Breath, beautiful, I can't understand you.” Johnny cooed softly, tapping a steady rhythm onto the palm of Ten’s shaking hands. </p><p>“Can I just see you?” Ten pleaded. “Please?” And who was Johnny to deny his crying angel anything other than sadness. He gently pulled Ten to his bedroom in the basement, ignoring the insecurities bubbling in his stomach about Ten seeing his barren room. Ten sat down on the bed wordlessly as he watched Johnny strip off his armor. <br/>When Johnny went to pull a shirt over his bare torso, Ten grabbed his bicep and pulled softly. “Can you keep your shirt off?”</p><p>Johnny shook his head with an amused smile and put the garment away. He slipped beside Ten’s small body and brushed his fingers soothingly through the prince's tangled hair. </p><p>“Talk to me, my prince.”</p><p>“Johnny, you'll never leave, right?” Ten looked at him with his doe eyes and Johnny melted. “I know we don't have a big commitment to each other, but I sincerely trust you with my life.” </p><p>“I couldn't leave you, my heart would break.”</p><p>Silence fell over the room. Ten pondered his words while tracing aimless shapes in the divet of Johnny's abs and over his pecs, enjoying the way the man shivered at the feather touch. </p><p>“I'm engaged.” He confessed abruptly. The tears that subsided stung at the backs of his eyes again, and he didn't bother to stop them when they ran over his nose and dripped onto Johnny’s warm skin.</p><p>Johnny tensed. “You're engaged?” </p><p>“My father gave me up for a fucking alliance. He chose his godforsaken safety over his own damn son, and I expected it, really, but why does it still hurt so bad?” </p><p>Ten had been reminded since birth that he was to be used for his father's wishes every day. Kun, being the oldest, could not be married off for peace because he was to take the throne, but Ten began to believe that it wouldn't matter anyway. Kun was straight, eager to produce an heir, respectful. He was the perfect image of a prince, built with his mother's grace, but his father's sternness. And Ten was… well, he was Ten. His personality wasn't handcrafted by royals, but a product of night trips to the city and the eyes of the starving. He was the backbone of social justice and the icon of sexuality. He, unlike his brother, was carved by the suffrage of others, and he lived by it. It really was only a matter of time before his royal father grew to hate his Prince son with the mind of a delusional commoner. </p><p>“I promise I won't let your father take you away from me.” Johnny sealed his promise with a tender kiss to Ten’s forehead. </p><p>“I don't want to marry him.” Ten’s voice cracked, and Johnny pulled him closer. </p><p>“I won't allow any other man to place a ring on your finger before I do, my love.” </p><p>He meant every word. </p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. okay, angel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“My first request as an engaged couple is that we share the same room,” Doyoung stated from his seat beside the King. The family and Doyoung had somehow managed to all be available at the same time for a late dinner, with even Kun sitting beside his brother. </p><p>Ten rejected the proposition immediately upon hearing it. “Never.” His father shushed him, and Kun reassuringly tapped his foot under the table. The older man wasn't around as often as he used to be with his king duties and girlfriend, and Ten missed him. Kun was the only one in his family who didn't resent him for his progressive ideas and uncontrollable mouth. </p><p>“I will allow it,” The King announced definitively. “Ten, please prepare your room to house another guest. Tell Johnny and Chaeyoung they are to care for Doyoung as they care for you.”</p><p>“No, and I refuse to room with him. You cannot force me," Ten argued, dropping his fork against his fine china. The King shrugged in retaliation.</p><p>“Fine, go tell Johnny that he is to leave the palace at once.” </p><p>Ten shook his head, eyes wide with fear. “What? Why?” </p><p>“I have no use for him anymore.” The King continued to eat his breakfast casually. “Maybe we should just execute him for his defiance towards royalty, instead.”</p><p>Ten hated his father more than Doyoung. The man knew how to get what he wanted, using people's weaknesses against them for his own personal gain. It made Ten sick to be related to such an egotistical, greedy monster.</p><p>“I will stay with Doyoung,” he agreed reluctantly. “But it will not be voluntary and I will not permit you to touch me in any way.” His last statement was directed towards a smirking Doyoung, who let out a disbelieving chuckle at the request.</p><p>“Oh my dear Ten, you will not be saying that for long.”</p><p>Ten’s whole body shook with fury, but instead of getting himself into deeper trouble by shooting back a snarky comment at Doyoung’s victorious grin, he left. Ten’s anger manifested over his short walk to his room, and he was bordering tears when he approached his guard and servant, who were talking animatedly outside his bedroom. </p><p>“Chaeyoung, come here, please.”</p><p>Chaeyoung skipped over to meet the prince halfway with a gentle smile. “Yes, my prince?” </p><p>Ten sighed and rubbed his palms against his eyes to halt his oncoming emotional breakdown. Chaeyoung noticed Ten’s quivering lips and pulled him into her side softly. Chaeyoung, from Ten’s experience, was not as affectionate as he was, so the brief hug felt like a lifetime to him. He appreciated her in ways she couldn't fathom. When the pair arrived at his door, Johnny was already anxiously tapping his foot. </p><p>Ten glanced between them with a shaky smile and stated firmly: “You two are to protect and serve Doyoung as you do for me, King's orders.”</p><p>“How am I supposed to do that?” Johnny immediately fired back. “I can't leave you.”</p><p>“Prince Doyoung will be staying,” Ten’s voice cracked, but he covered up his vulnerability with an awkward cough. “He will be staying with me.”</p><p>Ten saw Johnny’s confused eyebrow raise and offended eyes, even with his features hidden behind his mask. He saw Johnny’s cute head tilt and focused cheek bite, his fond smile and nose crinkle when Ten walked in the room. He hated himself at that moment, for being the reason the hope in Johnny’s smile faltered. </p><p>“I won't allow it. He is a stranger. This compromises your safety.” </p><p>“Unfortunately, Johnny, this is not up to us.” Ten blinked his tears away and addressed his friends casually. “Just ignore him, okay? Keep my father happy.” </p><p>“As you wish, my prince.” Chaeyoung agreed with a curt nod and left, probably to prepare Ten’s clothes for the night. Johnny scoffed, and Ten was reminded why he had been so reluctant to inform the two in the beginning. </p><p>“Johnny, please. Don't be mad at me. I won't let him do anything to me, I promise.” Ten grabbed his lover's armor and forced him to see his sincerity. Johnny shoved him off. </p><p>“Oh, yeah? And what about the stuff you're not going to let him do? Do you really think he won't try his luck with you while you two are laying there?” Johnny waved to his open bedroom door, at the bed the “couple” would be sharing. Ten swallowed thickly and shut his door. </p><p>“I need you to trust me,” He pleaded with the stubborn man. </p><p>“I do trust you,” Johnny relented, throwing his arms up. “It's him I don't-" Johnny froze and looked behind Ten. The Prince turned around just to be swept up in a restraining hug.</p><p>“Ah, there you are, my love,” Doyoung cooed, grabbing his hand and kissing the back of it despite his attempts to escape.</p><p>“Don't fucking touch me,” Ten growled when he finally reclaimed his hand. <br/> <br/>“We’re engaged, aren't we? This is completely normal. If anything, I should have you screaming my name by now.” </p><p>Doyoung laughed and bit his lip in a way that screamed sexual predator, reaching out to grasp Ten’s hips firmly. Ten writhed in his hold, but the man's fingers tightened brutally on the soft flesh. </p><p>“Stop, Doyoung.”</p><p>The prince ignored him and released part of his hold to possessively brush his fingers through Ten’s soft hair. The action was similar to how Johnny would cuddle with him, but the pain in his hip and the unconspicuous yank on his hair was completely different from Johnny's nimble fingers and gentle touch. </p><p>“Stop!” Ten yelled, pushing on Doyoung’s chest with no result.</p><p>“But you're so beautiful.”</p><p>Doyoung’s face was scarily close to Ten's before Johnny’s large palm came to rest on Doyoung’s shoulder, shoving him off of the Prince. </p><p>“I believe he said stop,” Johnny spoke to Doyoung the same way he regarded his father the night he hit Ten, and the protectiveness made him giddy.  </p><p>“And I believe you're supposed to be guarding me, no?” Doyoung cocked his head to the side innocently, but he spat nothing but venom at Johnny. His nonchalant grin hardened into a glare. “This is normal, do not interfere where you are not needed, peasant.” </p><p>Johnny’s grip wavered, and Ten almost called out for him when the guard pulled away completely and allowed for Ten to be dragged into the confinements of his room. Ten had never seen Johnny so pliant, and the thought of being succumbed to Doyoung’s advances caused him to shiver. </p><p>“I will kick you out, regardless of my father, if you continue to make moves on me.” Ten tried to defend himself, but his tone was shaky, scared, and Doyoung sensed it. Then doyoung moved to kiss his prince, and something in Ten snapped. He slapped his fiance, and Doyoung glared at him while wiping the blood from his lips. </p><p>“God, you're such a little bitch.” </p><p>Ten stood straighter and spoke gently enough to soothe a wild bear. “Go to sleep, Doyoung, it's almost ten.” Doyoung, appearing to know of his plans, shook his head. </p><p>“Not without you.” </p><p>So Ten, ever so complacent, changed into his pajamas in his bathroom and joined Doyoung in the spacious bed. If Doyoung were to try and sleep with him, Ten would have no defenses, with Johnny already gone and his night guard unknown to him. </p><p>“Goodnight.”</p><p>Doyoung fell asleep minutes before his digital clock flipped to eleven, and Ten carefully snuck from his bed and down to the safety of the basement and Johnny.</p><p>“Johnny Suh, I am going to castrate you.”</p><p>Johnny glanced up from the weights in his hands. “What did I do?” Ten, not appreciating the attention not being solely on him, snatched the (heavy) weights form Johnny’s hands and rolled them under his bed. </p><p>With a frustrated pout, he turned to his shocked companion. “How dare you let him take me?” Johnny shook his head and sat down on his bed. </p><p>“He was right, Ten. I’m a peasant, and you're a prince. I have no right to interfere.” Johnny looked weak, defeated, and for some reason, it stirred a furious pot of anger in Ten’s chest.</p><p>“You have every right to interfere. You're my boyfriend!” He huffed. </p><p>Johnny smirked and pulled Ten to his chest. When the shorter man winced, he apologized and softly rubbed the bruises on his hips. Doyoung’s hands were smaller than Johnny’s, if the purpling indents were anything to go by, and the idea of being able to overpower the prince gave Johnny an odd sense of pride. </p><p>“Well, as your boyfriend, I demand you to never see Doyoung again.”</p><p>Ten pouted and looped his arms loosely around Johnny’s neck, toying with the hair on his nape. “You know I can't do that.”</p><p>Johnny shrugged and flipped their bodies so his knees encased Ten’s thighs. </p><p>“Then I guess I'll give you something to remember me by.” </p><p>Johny dove for Ten’s pale neck, kissing the skin before biting gently. The feeling sent a pleasant shiver through Ten’s body, and he clumsily arched his back to be closer to his boyfriend. Then Johnny’s lips met his in a clash of tongues and teeth, and despite its messiness, Ten found that he wouldn't trade it for the world. </p><p>After an intense makeout session that left Ten marked and shell-shocked, he retreated back to his room with Doyoung, blissfully unaware of how his life was to change.</p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. nothing, kitten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One week after Ten’s engagement found Johnny laying in his bed, waiting for his boyfriend to come down and cuddle. The couple fell into a routine quickly. Every night after Doyoung fell asleep, Ten would sneak from his fiance’s side to the basement to spend the night with Johnny. Their only rule was that they weren’t allowed to fall asleep. Falling asleep meant time slipping, eyes opening, and Ten being discovered. </p><p>But who could blame Johnny, who spent all day guarding his eccentric prince, for shutting his eyes to the sound of Ten’s voice and the weight of his hand along his torso. </p><p>Unsurprisingly, Johnny woke up before Ten, shocked to find the Prince still curled under his arm like a clingy kitten. His panic didn’t set in for a few minutes, too entranced by his boyfriend’s sleepy pout and ruffled hair. </p><p>“Shit, Ten, wake up,” he prodded the man when he noticed the light seeping through his curtains. Ten groaned but didn't leave the comfort of Johnny's blanket. It wasn't until he heard his father's gruff calls of his name that he shot up, meeting Johnny's panicked eyes with his own terror. </p><p>"Ten, I know you're down here. If you come now, I will not make a fuss about your whereabouts to Doyoung." </p><p>Ten's panic morphed to disbelief, then irritation. He shoved Johnny out of his way and stormed to where his father was perched idly against the kitchen countertops; a predator awaiting its prey. </p><p>"And why the fuck should I care what Doyoung thinks about where I am?" He hissed. The King's glare trailed down his body, stopping momentarily at the hickeys spotting his neck, and ending at the Stitch slippers on his feet. </p><p>"You are cheating on your fiance, are you not?" </p><p>"He is nothing to me, and will always be nothing to me." </p><p>The King dismissed his son's complaints with a wave of his ring clad hand. The bravery of his usually cowardice father startled Ten. </p><p>"I wish to speak with your guard alone. You are free to leave," the King bade him exit condescendingly. Ten glanced between the door to the kitchen and his determined father skeptically. Leaving Johnny after hearing what his father knew about the two made his heart curl. Regardless of hesitancy, he exited the kitchen, hoping Johnny could escape the King’s wrath as easily.</p><p>Lo and behold, he did not.</p><p>“You’re being switched. And if you argue with me about this you will not be switched, you will be killed, no matter who your mother is,” the King told him. Johnny heard stories growing up of his mother’s friendship with the King and wondered briefly what she would think if she saw the disaster unfolding. </p><p>Johnny nodded reluctantly, and the King left to wait in the hall. Johnny quickly slipped his armor on before rejoining the fidgety king. Whatever confidence he previously possessed was oozing from his pores faster than he could guide Johnny to Kun’s room. He had been here before during orientation, but once he was chosen for Ten, he rarely saw the other Prince. </p><p>Jaehyun was standing tense by the door when they approached. He gently tapped Johnny as if to ask what was happening but the King answered his question. </p><p>“Jaehyun, you are officially being moved to Prince Ten’s room, this action is to proceed immediately and without arguments.” </p><p>Jaehyun knew his place, so he nodded curtly to the King, smile weakly at his best friend, and departed. When Jaehyun disappeared down the long corridor, the King knocked softly on Kun’s door. Johnny could have toppled over at the friendliness in which the King treated his son’s door, even more so how he spoke.</p><p>“Kun? Are you in here?” The King called out patiently. </p><p>The door opened and Kun peeked into the hallway, crown perched on his head like a regal bird. “I am, dad. What’s up?” The King smiled and gestured for Prince Kun to come out, presumably to see Johnny fully. He did so with practiced grace, eyeing the guard with disinterest.</p><p>“This is your new guard. His name is Johnny and you are to discipline him accordingly should he lash out.” The King glared pointedly at Johnny during his last statement. </p><p>“Gotcha.” And just like that, Kun’s attention diverted, showing the disconnect between him and Jaehyun. Johnny figured he might argue, maybe ask for his flamboyant best friend back. He did neither. The King turned to leave, but Kun grabbed his robe to regain his focus.</p><p>“Hey, do you know when Mom is coming back from the city? I asked her to get me some new books.” He asked casually, eyes wide with curiosity. He was cute, Johnny silently observed, but Ten was definitely more outgoing.</p><p>The King shrugged. “Should be soon, but I’ll let you know when she does.” </p><p>“Thanks, dad.”</p><p>“No problem.” The King pointed to him and Johnny stood from his slouched position against the wall. “Behave, Johnny.” </p><p>“Yes, sir,” he mumbled dejectedly in return. </p><p>Prince Kun looked him over once more before mumbling something under his breath.</p><p>“Hello, I am Kun, as you know. I assume you are not as lenient as Jaehyun, so I'm going to inform you now, I will leave as often as I want, and if you try to stop me, I will hurt you. Other than that, I won’t talk to you, and you won’t bother me. Is that clear?” Kun leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, foot tapping impatiently as he waited for Johnny’s confirmation. </p><p>Johnny recoiled from the Prince's 360 moods, but answered back: “Very clear, Prince Kun.” And then the Prince was gone. <br/> </p><p>____________</p><p>“Jaehyun, I fucking hate it,” Johnny groaned the moment he stepped into their shared room. Jaehyun laughed softly, knowing the vast contrast in the Prince's personalities.</p><p>“Don't worry, dude. Your little prince almost bit my head off when he heard me talk. I don't think we’ll become friends anytime soon.”</p><p>The fond smile that crawled across Johnny’s lips when he thought of his fiesty Ten made Jaehyun gag. But he was promptly shut up with a pillow to the face. </p><p>“It was a horrible idea for the King to put you as Kun’s guard though,” Jaehyun commented absent-mindedly as he pulled a shirt over his head. </p><p>“Why? Besides my obvious hatred for his snobby bullshit.” </p><p>Jaehyun sighed, glancing warily around as if someone would jump him for the words in his head. “Prince Kun is not who he pretends to be.”</p><p>Jaehyun was not one to diss the royal family, so his blatant disrespect caught Johnny’s wandering attention. He sat up to stare at his best friend with eager eyes. </p><p>“How so?”</p><p>“If you tell Prince Ten what I’m about to tell you, I will skin you alive.” Jaehyun threatened him, pointing his deodorant at Johnny’s chest. Johnny slapped his hand away with a grimace.</p><p>“Yeah okay. I highly doubt I’ll be seeing him much, if Doyoung and the King have a say in it.”</p><p>“They have a huge say in it.”</p><p>“Thanks, I hadn’t realized,” Johnny spat back sarcastically. “Now tell me, pretty please?” he batted his eyelashes at Jaehyun, who instantly covered his face with another annoying gag.</p><p>“Kun hates Ten. Like, absolutely despises him. He has this wack theory that if the people see him being all friendly with Ten that they’ll like him too because Ten is… you know how he is.”</p><p>Johnny stared dumbly at his friend until his brain processed the information. “I hate royals.”</p><p>Jaehyun huffed and flicked off the light. “Me too, bro, me too.”</p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. jesus, my dear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ten woke up, groaning at the pleasant stretch that tingled from his head to the tips of his toes. Doyoung laid beside him in all his shirtless glory, lips parted to release silent breaths into the room that reeked of sex. Ten gagged at the smell and pulled a sweater over his torso so he could safely talk to his guard. </p><p>“You suck, Jung,” was his usual greeting, and Jaehyun rolled his eyes. </p><p>“Thank you, your majesty, but you have it wrong. I am never the one doing the sucking.” He replied, his voice leaking with faux seduction. The two laughed softly under the heat of the rising sun, hearts light. Ten gazed at Jaehyun with cautious eyes, teeth toying with his swollen bottom lip as he pondered over the question bouncing around his mind. </p><p>Finally, he asked, “How’s Johnny?” </p><p>Jaehyun looked over at the Prince's worried expression and smiled. </p><p>“He misses you more and more every day. Why don’t you go see him?” </p><p>Ten wondered when Johnny would muster up the courage to ask him that. It was true that Ten had been distant from his boyfriend since the day they got caught, but disclosing the reason for his distancing would lead to heartache. Instead, he replied with a half-assed, vague excuse. </p><p>“Jaehyun, you know I can’t.”</p><p>No, Jaehyun didn't know why he couldn't, and the disappointed frown on his best friends face every night when the Stitch slippers didn’t slap around the kitchen was beginning to weigh on him. </p><p>“Beautiful? Where did you go?” Doyoung called from the bedroom, voice raspy from sleep. Ten sighed quietly as his fiance walked to the door and slipped his arm around Ten’s waist. Jaehyun saw the fresh hickies blooming across Doyoung’s shirtless torso, but didn’t comment. It made sense why Ten hadn’t visited his supposed boyfriend, now that he appeared to be falling for an all too eager Doyoung. Johnny doesn’t need protecting, Jaehyun reminded himself when his relaxed hand stiffened into a fist that he wanted to aim at Ten’s face. </p><p>“What are you doing out here?” Doyoung removed the hand hugging Ten’s waist to rub the sleep from his eyes, blinking rapidly. </p><p>“Nothing, hun. Go back to bed, I'll be there in a minute.” Ten kissed Doyoung’s cheek and gently led the man back to the bed before rejoining Johnny and shutting the door. “We need to talk.”</p><p>Jaehyun scoffed and shook his head. “Nah, I have nothing nice to say to you, and you're stupid if you think I won’t be telling Johnny about this tonight.”</p><p>(not very professional or relevant, but after that sentence, I got distracted by stray kids for two hours)</p><p>“Jaehyun, please, you need to let me explain.” </p><p>“I don’t need to let you do anything," Jaehyun responded, emphasizing the need. "You know what, I’m leaving. I’m going to end this right now.” Jaehyun turned his back on the fuming Prince and stalked down the corridors in the direction of his best friend. </p><p>“Jung Jaehyun, I demand you to stop.” Ten yelled. Jaehyun halted. “This is an order from the Prince and if you do not listen you will be killed. I forbid you from seeing him.”</p><p>Jaehyun growled deep in his throat and faced the Prince. “Then I’ll die, but at least I'll die loyal to my best friend, which is something you can't seem to do.” </p><p>The flash of hurt that caused Ten’s eyes to water didn’t deter Jaehyun from his mission; if anything, it gave him satisfaction. He stormed towards Kun’s room, throwing his helmet to the side with a metallic clank. Ten’s timid footsteps followed him, but he couldn’t care less when he saw his best friend standing, clearly bored, at the oldest Princes door. </p><p>“Jaehyun, what are you doing?” Johnny hissed at his friend when he noticed he was definitely not supposed to be able to see his annoyingly cute dimples. Jaehyun just shook his head and motioned to Ten straggling behind him. </p><p>“Johnny, I need to tell you something that I saw today,” Jaehyun started calmly, hoping to break the news gently.</p><p>Ten cried out, falling to the carpeted floor with a thud that alarmed even Jaehyun. The Prince was on his knees in a deep bow that would have pleased the Gods, voice cracking with every pitiful sorry that spilled from his lips. </p><p>“What’s wrong, angel?” Johnny asked as he walked towards his hurting lover. He was stopped, however, by a hand firmly holding his arm. </p><p>“Let me talk first, Johnny, then you can decide if you want to comfort him. Please?” </p><p>Johnny glanced between Ten’s huddled form and the raw sincerity in Jaehyun’s usually comedic expression and decided to listen to his friend's words. </p><p>“Ten has, at the very least, marked up Doyoung. I'm assuming they’ve kissed, too, maybe even slept together, in the past two weeks since he stopped visiting you.” Johnny crumpled to the floor, and Jaehyun followed him down. “I'm not saying he doesn't necessarily love you, but I think maybe it's for the best that you two stop. You deserve loyalty in whoever you choose, Johnny.”</p><p>Johnny removed his helmet to wipe his tears while Ten stood shakily from the floor, walking to his boyfriend and placing a hand on his shoulder. Johnny slapped his comfort away with a scowl.</p><p>“You're right, Jae. I don't ’t deserve this, Ten, we’re done.” Johnny moved to replace his helmet, but Ten grabbed his neck and placed a wet kiss on his lips. Their tears mixed in the divots of Johnny’s lips and he almost caved, eventually resisting. Slowly, he parted from the crying Prince, put his helmet back on, and returned to his post. </p><p>“Oh, so that’s where you went.” Doyoung chided from the end of the hallway, having witnessed the last part of their interaction. “Even after letting me fuck you senseless, you’re still being<br/>someone else’s bitch.” Doyoung grabbed Ten’s hair and yanked, hard, bringing them level with each other. “Tell your dad his whore of a son just started a fucking war.” He spat. Ten dropped to the ground, Johnny didn't flinch, and Doyoung stormed off.</p><p>True to his word, the King received a declaration of war hours later, stating that cause of war to be a broken deal. The King knew the implications of the words, approaching Johnny with furious and hurtful words, fists flying at the shirtless boy who just wanted to sleep his heartache away.</p><p>“My King, please, the Prince and I no longer see each other. Doyoung misunderstood,” Johnny pleaded, protecting his swollen eyes and bleeding lip from further damage with shaking hands. “He is with Doyoung.” </p><p>“If he was with Doyoung, this wouldn't be a problem!” The King screamed while waving the declaration in Johnny’s face. </p><p>“Please, I don't love him anymore, my loyalty lies with Prince Kun and you.” Johnny knelt down to softly kiss the King’s feet, but was pushed away by a strong kick to the ribs that made him groan in pain. </p><p>“Prove yourself, then, in battle.” </p><p>Johnny locked his steely gaze with the King’s and spoke calmly. “I will do whatever it takes.”  </p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. i'm sorry, sweetheart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ten woke to a frantic pounding on his door that did not sound like Jaehyun's clanky armor or Chaeyoung's gentle taps. He blinked the grogginess from his eyes and squinted to read the clock on his wall. Three in the morning? The pounding stopped, and the person entered with shaky movements.</p><p>"Ten, we need to go." His father spoke, eyes bleary and crown lopsided on his unruly hair. Ten knew he looked far worse than the King who had at least managed to brush down the wiry hairs littering his chin. </p><p>"Where are we going?" Ten asked, hardly comprehensible through the rasp in his voice.</p><p>"We are going to our safe house in the Zhong Kingdom, where we will stay until the war has finished." </p><p>Ten agreed mindlessly with a small nod. War declarations were not uncommon in the kingdom, but he couldn't ignore the spike of worry stabbing through his chest and making his pulse thrum violently in his neck.</p><p>"Should we bring anything?" He threw the covers off his partially naked body and threw on the long-sleeved tee laying on his floor. A quick sniff told him it was dirty, so he pulled a hoodie over it, Johnny's hoodie to be exact, and hoped it contained the smell.</p><p>"Bring your valuables. Jaehyun will meet you at the front gate to escort you and your brother to the safehouse." The King began to leave when a sudden realization struck Ten.</p><p>"Wait, where are the other people going? The servants? The commoners?" </p><p>The King sighed and tugged at his beard anxiously. "They..." he hesitated seeing the fury boiling in his son's eyes. "They will be staying."</p><p>"What? They can't stay. They'll be killed!" </p><p>"Ten, I understand your concern, but there is nothing we can do." </p><p>Ten scoffed and threw the book he was packing in his bag to the floor. "Bullshit! You don't understand, you've never cared about anything but yourself." Ten inhaled deeply to soothe the anger bubbling inside of his body. "At least tell me Mrs. Suh is coming?" Ten knew Johnny would be there, him being Kun's guard and all, but if Mrs. Suh wasn't allowed to come, Ten swore he would kill the monster standing in his doorway.</p><p>The King's eyes became vulnerably damp at the question, which startled Ten. "She will not be coming." His father took a shuddering breath before collapsing to the floor just as Ten had done when Johnny left him. "I tried so hard to convince her to leave, Ten. I tried so hard." The cries coming from his father were foreign to him, and any lingering anger at the man dissipated when he collected the sobbing man into a hug. It was the first time he had hugged his father in years.</p><p>"Father, what's wrong?" </p><p>The King wiped his tired eyes and motioned for the two to sit more comfortably on the bed. When they were settled, the King grabbed Ten's hand in his wrinkled ones with a grip tight enough to bend iron. </p><p>"Once upon a time, a little boy lived in a palace with his parents. He was rich beyond belief, charming, but most of all, he was curious. His older brother was his favorite person in the world, and every night, the siblings would sneak out of the palace window and run through the garden into the city." The whistful smile on his father's face made Ten momentarily imagine a man, innocent, with the wind at his back and his hands held by the person who made him feel safe. </p><p>"The city was beautiful at night, with vendor stalls and dancing, but the most beautiful part of the city was the girl, about the boy's age, who met him at the cherry tree at midnight. She was kind, young, gorgeous in a way that made your cheeks redden when you looked at her. Every night for ten years, the two met in secret, until finally, finally, the boy asked her to be his on her sixteenth birthday. It was the happiest night of my life."</p><p>The King glanced over to stare deeply into Ten's eyes, sincerity painting his features. </p><p>"The boy went home that night so happy he could cry, but his brother ratted him out to the King. The next day, the little boy woke up with a wife at his side and a girl left abandoned at the cherry tree." </p><p>"But I thought the girl was mom?" </p><p>The King ignored his question. "I had to learn to love the person who was chosen for me, even if it meant leaving Del behind. Ten, do not put Johnny through the pain his mother endured for your own happiness, you will regret it." </p><p>The King left.</p><p>Ten sat for a few minutes longer, processing the information he learned. Despite his father's story, one look at the rose Johnny gave him laying broken on his bedside table pushed him to right his wrongs, to explain himself. Mrs. Suh was happy now, even if it took a while, and Ten was certain Johnny could do the same in the event he chose to ignore Ten's words. With a huff, he finished packing his belongings and sprinted to the gates.</p><p>"Jaehyun, I need to make things right." Ten panted when he reached the guard. </p><p>"Then you'll be making things right without my help. C'mon, get in the car." Jaehyun nodded towards the door he was holding and Ten hopped in the very back, behind Johnny. Jaehyun slid in next to him and the door shut. The ride to the Zhong kingdom was silent, save for Ten's foot tapping against the floorboards. </p><p>They arrived swiftly and were greeted pleasantly by two teenagers who looked younger than Ten. Ten knew who they were from portraits, but had never met the siblings in person. The younger of the two, with bright hair that blinded Ten when he stared too long spoke up first.</p><p>"Hi! I'm Chenle, this is Renjun. Our guards will be directing you to the safe house shortly, but I wanted to meet you before they did. Its been forever since other royals came through our gates." Chenle sheepishly blushed, and Ten almost cooed at the cutie fidgeting in front of him.</p><p>"Hello Chenle, Renjun." Ten bowed his head in respect. </p><p>Kun nodded, barely glancing up from where he was fidgeting with his silk cloak. Chenle's smile deflated into an uncomfortable grimace at the oldest son's condescending behavior. The tense silence that followed lingered until the palace guards arrived to escort them to another location. Ten patted Chenle's shoulder as he passed with a sympathetic smile.</p><p>"Follow us, your majesties." </p><p>They were led to a sleek black car and hustled quickly into the seats. Ten somehow ended up next to Johnny, who barely glanced in his direction. He admitted the dismissal stung a bit, but his determination was nothing if not dogged. He subtly brushed his hand against his armor and whispered a hesitant: "We need to talk. I need to explain myself about Doyoung, properly, away from prying ears." A pause. "I really do love you." </p><p>"Prince Ten, I don't know who you think I am, but that is not meant for me." The guard whispered back, voice higher than Johnny's masculine tenor, and sending an unpleasant chill down his spine.</p><p>"Wait, who are you? Where's Johnny?" Ten's volume bordered yelling, panic setting fire to his veins. "Jaehyun?" Jaehyun turned his gaze to peer at the scenery sneaking past the window. "Jaehyun, where's Johnny?" Ten cried, grabbing and shaking the guard's arm as if he could forcefully shake the answer from his lips.</p><p>"Ten, be quiet!" Kun demanded sharply, eyes colder than ice. "You will not sit in this car and make a fool of yourself in front of people from another kingdom over a peasant. Sit back, shut up, and accept the fact that Johnny is not here and will probably be dead before you see him again." </p><p>"Dead?" Ten stuttered. "Why would he be dead?" </p><p>"Prince Ten, Johnny has decided to..." Jaehyun exhaled shakily, "...stay behind to fight." </p><p>Ten cried the entire car ride, clutching the rose in his hands and pricking himself with the thorns as if the dull pain could overpower the shattering of his heart. On the frontlines, hunkered in his tent with only the light of the rising sun as his eyes, Johnny did the same. </p><p>A torn and bloody piece of paper was clutched tightly in his fist, words written in the heat of battle bleeding from the pages and onto the rough ground beneath him. The rain cascaded down his silver armor, across his fluffy hair, matting it to his head. It flowed through his heart and from his eyes, painted the red-stained ground with innocence. Johnny hated that he couldn't send the paper in his hands. He hated that he wielded a sword better than he could ever pass over a bouquet of flowers. </p><p>With a sigh that made his body sag, he threw the love letter to the ground and let the rain carry and weave it through the mass of bodies littering the battleground.</p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. stop, honeypot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Johnny thought the worst part of the war was the bloodshed, the piercing screams, the gunshots, but on his third day in battle, his premonitions were proven to be incorrect. As he sat, breath rapid, and a gun in his hand, he realized the most traumatizing part of war was the overwhelming guilt. His lips were raw from anxiously picking them apart, his eyes were burning from the fumes and the regrets.</p><p>The tree shielding his body from death did nothing to protect his soul, and he could feel it slowly ebbing into a dangerously dark mentality. Johnny had no more tears left to cry. </p><p>“Johnny?” The voice startled him, but a quick nervous glance calmed his fears when his comrade, Yuta, emerged from the shadow of the trees to crouch next to him. “We need to leave. Doyoung’s army practically has these woods surrounded.” His tone was hushed, suspicious, as if someone would jump from the treetops to steal his words straight from his mouth.</p><p>Johnny took brief note of the blood staining Yuta’s hair and nodded. The two stood hunkered low and sprinted in a way that was comical even amongst blood and bodies, until they arrived safely at the makeshift camp set up deep in the woods. </p><p>Many questions were safeguarded during war, inquiries about family back home, questions about a fallen friend, but especially the status of war. Despite this, Johnny tapped Yuta’s broad shoulder and asked softy enough to soothe a frightened kitten: “are we losing?” </p><p>Yuta smoothed the wrinkles between Johnny's furrowed brows with the pad of his thumb. “I think we may be.”</p><p>Johnny genuinely believed he had no tears left to cry, but the thought of dying on the muddy ground without his best friend’s calming demeanor or his mother’s comforting hugs made him noticeably teary. Yuta walked away with a brief hug, probably ready to write another letter to Sicheng. </p><p>Johnny’s entire body fell to the ground in a heap of jelly legs and heavy arms. Tears pooled by his ears as he stared at the darkening sky and willed for everything to disappear. He wanted to be holding Ten in his arms, oblivious to whatever him and Doyoung had done. He wanted his mom to kiss him goodnight, one last wet kiss that made him groan with annoyance that was never there.</p><p>One last wet kiss, one last wet kiss, and then his eyes shut. </p><p>“Johnny? Johnny?” </p><p>He sighed at the gentle vibrato coaxing him awake, and for a moment he transported back to his first day at the castle. His mother woke him as she always did, her hands a welcomed weight on his shoulders as he stood from his rickety bed. She told him how to get to Prince Ten’s room and set him on his way with a kiss that barely brushed against his swollen cheeks. </p><p>“Johnny? My dear, the ground is no place for sleep.” Mrs. Suh grabbed her son’s sunken cheeks and rubbed her fingers across the divots of his tired face, over the swell of his cheekbones and the darkness of his undereye. </p><p>“Mom?” Johnny sat up so abruptly the pair knocked heads. </p><p>“It's me, baby.” </p><p>Johnny brought his rough hands to cover his mothers, feeling the tears running over the backs of their hands and creating a tan river in the land of blood on his forearm. </p><p>“Mommy,” he cried, leaning forward to rest his forehead against her shoulder. “Mommy, I wanna go home, please. Please take me home.” </p><p>Mrs. Suh brushed her fingers through his matted hair and exhaled deeply through her nose. “Honey, you know I can’t do that.” </p><p>Johnny cried harder at that. He wondered if being killed by the King’s mortification would have been the better alternative, but was shot down by his mother’s steady chest against his own shaking form. At that moment, he looked more like a boy than he did the steadfast man Mrs. Suh raised, and it broke her resolve into tiny shards of sharp glass. The quiet cries escaping his mother, his rock, his sanctuary, cut him deeper than any sword or bullet could. </p><p>The sound of frantic shuffling dragged Johnny’s swollen eyes from his mother’s face and to the tent behind her. His commander was yelling orders, face red from fury and exertion. Johnny’s body moved subconsciously and before he knew it, he was in position with the rest of his fleet, guns at their sides. His mother was pushed away amongst the chaos, and Johnny already missed her. His comrades were screaming about an ambush, but he was shockingly calm. His heart no longer fluttered around his chest like an awol butterfly. It was almost as if he accepted death now that he had seen his mother, accepted that his last encounter with her would always be remembered as something positive. </p><p>“Johnny, move.” Someone nudged him softly. He quickly fell into step with the other soldiers, a rapid one-two that made his thighs burn. The group of exhausted men secured the perimeter, once, twice, until they were convinced the ambush was a false alarm and were allowed to travel home. Johnny found that calling the rickety tent and rolled out yoga mats “home” came easy, and it scared him more than he cared to admit. </p><p>The second group that stayed behind were scattered around the tent, all looking extremely distraught. Yuta took the first step, dismissing the men and grabbing Johnny’s hand before he could find his mother again. </p><p>“The ambush wasn’t fake, Johnny.” Yuta sighed and studied the room. The men staring back at him subtly urging him forward. “Doyoung tricked us into leaving the tent. He knew of your mother working at the castle, knew who she was. We thought he took her for info, but…” his lip trembled, and Johnny became faint. </p><p>“Where is she?” He stuttered, pulling his hand from Yuta’s warm grip. </p><p>“She’s by the treeline.” </p><p>Johnny sprinted from the tent, throwing his gun to the ground and his clunky helmet to the side. His mother’s body lay amongst the trees with her arm thrown across her eyes like she was protecting herself. </p><p>Johnny knelt down and shook her shoulder. “Mom?” He shook harder. “Mommy? It’s not funny, Mom, please. Please, it's not funny! It's not funny, stop, stop, stop.” Johnny’s shakes did nothing more than shift her arm to lay palm up on the stained ground. </p><p>Johnny laid down next to her and curled into her chest, arms holding tightly onto the only unconditional love he had ever known. </p><p>“I love you.”</p><p>The wind whispered a silent I love you too.</p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. i don't understand, johnny</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ten softly twisted the silver knob, opening the door and wincing at the high-pitched creak. When no guards rushed to investigate the sound, he slipped through the small crack and into the chilliness of the night. He briefly checked his surroundings before sprinting towards the gate separating the safehouse from civilization. He was almost there when a pair of burly arms grabbed his waist and pulled him with enough force to knock his hood off his head. </p><p>“Hey!” </p><p>“Who are you and what business do you have here?” Jaehyun hissed, tightening his grip. </p><p>“Fuck, Jaehyun, it's me.” </p><p>Jaehyun sighed and let go abruptly, like he was touching fire. “Prince Ten, what are you doing?” </p><p>“That is none of your business.” Ten glared at the guard while brushing out his rumpled hoodie and pulling his hood over his hair. </p><p>Jaehyun scoffed. “It is actually, and in case you haven't noticed, I have no intention of letting you go until you tell me where you were going.”</p><p>“You wouldn't let me go if you knew.” With a huff and a stomp, Ten opened the door, letting it slam against the wall. </p><p>“The battleground is no place for a prince,” Jaehyun called after his retreating figure. Ten paused, ignoring the tears obstructing his vision, and stepped back outside</p><p>“I need to fix things before I lose him, Jaehyun.” Ten pleaded. Jaehyun’s eyes were bored. “I don't expect you to understand.” </p><p>Jaehyun’s hands were on him in an instant, spinning him to stare at his face that was red from anger. “Don't you ever fucking say that.”</p><p>Ten was taken aback by the disrespect. “Excuse me?”</p><p>“Johnny is all I have. I grew up with him. I watched him lose his first tooth, learn to ride a bike, smile at his first dog. Hell, you wouldn't even know him if it weren't for me. So don't ever fucking say I wouldn't understand because I, I loved him first!” Jaehyun’s furious shout faded to a weak whisper. “I loved him first, and I know what it's like out there. You don't, Ten, and I know you think you do, but you lived a completely different life from us. You sat in a bunker with food and money when the first war happened. We sat in our house with soldiers marching through our homes demanding any food we had. You grew up protected from the world outside, away from the people who held Johnny at knifepoint and traumatized his poor mother. You love him, I know that, but you will never understand what it's like to be where he is, and know that you could have stopped him from going, because you've never been there.”</p><p>Ten stared, completely shell shocked, as Jaehyun shared his thoughts with someone who could easily use them against him. </p><p>“You can go, Ten, but be careful.” Jaehyun released his shoulders with a deep exhale. “Anything happens to you and Johnny will hate you for killing me.” </p><p>“Thank you, Jaehyun.” Ten meant every syllable. He gave Jaehyun a curt hug and climbed the wiry gate, knowing he would land (probably loudly) on the roof of the car they arrived in. He hopped in the sleek car, revving the engine and glancing around uncertainly. </p><p>“I have no idea how to drive, oh god.” Ten fiddled with the odd lettered joystick for a moment before realizing the meanings of the letters and facepalming at his stupidity. He pressed the gas pedal, yelping at the harsh jerk but continuing nonetheless. After fourty minutes of harsh braking and nearly crashing into every tree in the vicinity, he arrived at the middle ground where he knew Johnny's patrol was. He abandoned the car on the outskirts and walked quietly into the unsettling darkness of the woods. </p><p>Johnny’s broad back and careless shuffle sent Ten reeling, and he called out before he could register the words in his brain. “Johnny!” Johnny tensed at the use of his name, gun held alert by his side. He met Ten’s flickering eyes through the trees and relaxed. </p><p>“Prince Ten, you need to leave. Being here comprises your safety.” His voice was monotonous, a mere servant in the presence of the Prince. </p><p>“Johnny, please. Talk to me like you still love me, just for today,” Ten begged, lip bitten raw between his top teeth.</p><p>“I cannot pretend to be something I am not.” </p><p>“Then just let me explain, please?” Johnny’s eyes matched Jaehyun’s boredom. “God, Johnny, I can't leave until you hear me out.”</p><p>Johnny tapped his foot as he contemplated, a habit Ten noticed when Johnny woke him up at the crack of dawn from his clanky armor tapping on the tiled castle floors. “Two minutes, and then you're gone.” </p><p>“I slept with Doyoung, I did. I slept with Doyoung and I told you I loved you at the same time and that was so fucked up of me. I thought that if I gave everyone what they wanted, we could be together without my father breathing down our backs or Doyoung on our tail. But he started to become aggressive. He got violent. He belittled me and convinced me I was nothing to you, and he grabbed my hips so hard they bruised, and he hit me when I talked back, and, and.” Ten’s chest heaved. “It was so scary, being helpless. This is no excuse for what I did to you, not at all, I just need you to understand that I never fell out of love with you, not even for a second.” </p><p>Johnny hesitated. “Your two minutes are over.” </p><p>Ten convinced himself he had no expectations when he spontaneously decided to make things right with Johnny, but he couldn't hide his disappointment. “Oh, oh, okay. Goodbye, Johnny.” Ten turned away, pulling his hood further over his head to resist turning around and throwing himself to the ground at Johnny’s feet. He was halfway to the car when he heard an unceremonious thump, followed closely by Johnny’s deep groan. </p><p>Ten turned around. </p><p>Another soldier was wildly swinging his sword, gun strapped to his armor. His face was stone cold, no hints of remorse as he hacked away at the man that apparently lunged from the trees. Ten saw the hilt of a knife in the intruders hands, and he became petrified, shaking from pure unadulterated terror. He realized then that Jaehyun was right. He would never truly understand Johnny’s hardships, his feelings, why he was the way he was. </p><p>Voices filtered through the trees as more soldiers rushed to Johnny's aid, and in a moment of panic, Ten sprinted back to the car.</p><p>He didn't turn around again.</p><p> </p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. it hurts, dad</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Delilah always dreamed of dying by her lover's side, arms curled between his warmth and her chest with his fingers in her hair like a steady anchor. Dying in her son's arms, she found, topped any aimless dream.   </p><p>______________</p><p>Cha was born to be a king. He was conceived under the notion that he would assume the throne with the same insistence and determination as his ancestors. His Thai name, Chakrii, meant King, but the second he caught Delilah's gaze, he knew he was made for more. He may have been bred for royalty, but he was far from prestigious. Delilah screamed freedom, from the tip of her black hair to the soles of her bare feet that defied all laws of gravity when she skipped over the sweltering rocks that littered the kingdom. Who was he, a mere royal, to resist the charms of a spontaneous village girl with wings at her back and sparkles in her eyes. </p><p>"He had gone soft," his father used to say. "You've neglected to uphold the reputation of royalty for a nobody." Cha didn't care. He didn't care about anyone but Delilah, the tilt of her smile and the curves of her body pressed against him in tormenting harmony. When he first heard of her pregnancy, years after stolen kisses under the cherry tree, he momentarily imagined half of himself living within her, growing to form a human he would love to the ends of the Earth and beyond. Realistically, the idea was impossible, having already been tossed to the richest eager woman by his father to solidify his spot as King and reiterate the idea that "royalty may only marry rich or royal". </p><p>Delilah came to him on the twenty-second of November with a bundle in her hands and tears on her cherry cheeks. He accepted her into his castle, praying to any God that would listen that his wife would stay asleep in her silk sheets. He offered her a job, swore that her son would be protected under the kingdom, and promised a job when he became of age. When his wife became pregnant with their second child only two months later, Cha preapproved Johnny's role as his guard. </p><p>Johnny came to the kingdom nearly seventeen years later with his application in hand, completely unaware that even if he failed miserably, the King would never be able to turn him away. Jaehyun's willpower and strength was a bonus in the deal. </p><p>Cha watched Johnny and Ten grow like sunflowers, intertwined and reaching for the same Sun. He feared the day they discovered their adoration for each other, feared, even more, the day Ten admitted his love for the gentle giant. Sunflowers, as beautiful as they were, could not grow together, for while they created an intricate connection, they fought for the same love and unceremoniously burned out. </p><p>Cha didn't want Ten to be forced mercilessly by his mother to love someone of "their status". He didn't want Johnny to gush to his heartbroken mother about the love he found knowing he couldn't allow them to grow together any further. He applied the help of Yeji, begged Doyoung, attempted to scare Johnny, to keep his precious sunflower alive. </p><p>"Father? Are you in here?" Ten peeked behind the heavy doors blocking the King's room from the outside world. The blackout velvet curtains were pulled closed over the arching windows, a feeble attempt to keep the sunlight from invading his eyes. </p><p>"What do you need, Ten?" Cha questioned, dishearted, having no will to mask his concern anymore. </p><p>"We got a letter from the battlefield today." Ten closed the door, plunging the room deeper into the Twilight zone. "I felt like you would want to read it."</p><p>Cha nodded for his trembling son to continue.</p><p>"There was a civilian casualty." Ten cried out as he unfolded the tearstained letter written in Johnny's distinctive messy handwriting. He handed the creased letter to his father, who took it with a blank face. He scanned briefly over the scrawls, eyebrow furrow intensifying with each word. </p><p>"Oh, Del," he mumbled when he reached the end. "Del, Del, Del." Her name swirled on his tongue like a scratchy record, craking on some plays, and downright mute on others. "This is not how you deserved to go." </p><p>Ten's tense presence next to him completely slipped his mind until the man let out a cry that sent his body tumbling into his fathers. "I need her." He sobbed, clutching at his father like he would fade away if he didn't hold onto reality. "She was the only mom I had."</p><p>"I know, Tennie, I know." Cha soothed his son with a gentle pat on the head, years of discipline screaming for him to drop his hand and tell his son to get up and get over it. "You used to kick me, you know? Super hard, right in the gut, whenever you wanted food. You didn't stop until you were five and you kicked so hard my crown fell off."</p><p>Ten gasped and sat up, tears clouding his vision but clearing from his heart. "You said that chip was from battle."</p><p>The King raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I never said it was a violent battle, did I?" </p><p>The two laughed softly. Any louder and the serene atmosphere would crumble into nothing and the carefree smiles shared between father and son would be replaced with uncomfortable grimaces. </p><p>"Ten, I want you to know something. It's something that I haven't said aloud to anyone." </p><p>Ten perked up and nodded curiously. </p><p>"I love Johnny as I love you. He is a son to me, as odd as that may seem." It felt strange to admit the fatherly feelings he harbored for his ex-lover's son, and even more strange to say it with such confidence. </p><p>Ten scoffed quietly by his side. "Then why hurt him?"</p><p>"Sometimes Ten, you feel like you have to protect people you love from things that may not even be a threat." </p><p>"Was..." Ten swallowed thickly. "Was I the threat?" </p><p>The King exhaled, watching the flurries in the air float from his breath before responding. "You both threatened each other, or at least I thought you did." </p><p>Silence fell over the pair, but the usual awkward fidgeting that followed was nowhere to be seen or heard. </p><p>"Do you love him?" Cha asked bluntly, staring at his son's conflicted eyes and deep-set frown.</p><p>"I love him with everything that I am, but you're right. He's unsafe with me, and I get hurt by him." Ten laid on his stomach and buried his swollen face in his arms. "We would never work." </p><p>The King frowned at his son's turmoil, and softly coaxed his red-rimmed eyes to meet his own. "The thing about love, my son, is that it comes in many different forms. You cannot hurt without first being happy, and you cannot be in danger without first being protected. If you love him, I will no longer be an obstacle for you, but a supporter." </p><p>"Do you mean that?" Ten grinned, nose scrunched from how elated he was. </p><p>The King stared at his son's smile for a moment longer, and although he knew it would be hard for him, he hummed in confirmation. </p><p>"Del would have wanted you both to be happy." </p><p>Ten hugged him with a squeal and sped from the room, presumably to find a way to inform Johnny of the developments. Before he shut the door behind him, however, he spoke. </p><p>"She would want you to be happy too, Dad." </p><p>The door shut and the King smiled, dimples forming craters in his sunken cheeks. He cradled the letter in his hands and pressed a kiss to the outline of her name. </p><p>"I will love you until the stars stop shining, my Del." </p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. you're cute, princey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Doyoung surrendered!" The King announced, his arms spread wide. Ten stared blankly back at him, waiting for the moment the words processed in his fried brain. </p><p>"Can we go home now?" Kun asked with a huff. "This place is atrocious." </p><p>Ten saw Chenle frown beside him, and he rubbed the back of his hand soothingly. Kun, truthfully, had been nothing but rude since he stepped foot in the kingdom. Sure, it wasn't as wealthy as their own, it lacked the silk sheets and velvet drapes, but they had been so gracious to allow them to hide and Kun needed to respect that. </p><p>"This place has been keeping you alive, so I suggest you apologize to the Princes for your insincerity." Ten locked eyes with his unamused brother until Kun broke away with a scoff.</p><p>"You think I have to listen to you? I'm going to be King soon, and then I'll do whatever I want." </p><p>Ten stood up, ignoring the harsh scrape of his chair on the tiled floors, preparing to lunge at his stuck-up excuse of a sibling. The King grabbed his arm lightly and sat him back down before the two caused a squabble in the dining room. </p><p>"Yes, Kun, we will return home after going to the battlefield to sign off on Doyoung's peace treaty. We thank you dearly for allowing us to put you in danger and live in your home." He bowed politely to the Zhong's, who smiled in return, Chenle's smile much brighter than his stoic brothers. "You boys will begin packing at once."  </p><p>Ten nodded and shoved the last of his eggs into his mouth before excusing himself from the table. He hadn't brought much to begin with, but over the weeks they lived in the castle, he accumulated many trinkets, most from Chenle. He packed them in between layers of his soft robes and closed the small suitcase. When Ten arrived at the front gate, Jaehyun was already there, impatiently tapping his foot on the cobblestone. </p><p>"C'mon, Ten, the rest of your family is waiting." Jaehyun opened the car door with a sarcastic swoopy bow, and Ten rolled his eyes. He settled in beside Sicheng again and immediately apologized to the guard for his previous ministrations. </p><p>"That's alright, Prince Ten, I understand. I also have someone waiting for me on the battlefield." Ten decided then that he adored Sicheng's comforting voice. </p><p>Ten relaxed into the seat and watched the trail change from small houses to looming trees and dark corners. He knew this place all too well. </p><p>The car arrived shortly at the celebrating camp, windows rolled down and King hanging out of the passenger side window. Ten almost face-palmed in embarrassment but seeing the uncontained happiness on the King's face for the first time since he married his mother stopped him. His mother, in all her glory, refused to go to the battlefield and demanded someone drive her straight to the palace (probably so she could bathe in her riches away from her family). </p><p>"Ten, would you like to join me?" His father questioned with a cheeky smile that made Ten narrow his eyes. </p><p>"Yes," he agreed suspiciously. "Yes, I would." </p><p>The King and the Prince exited the car, leaving Kun to mope about the dirtiness of the camp and the horrors that would unfold if he ever allowed his expensive linens to become soiled. Ten was more than happy to slam the door in his face. </p><p>He followed his father through the throng of elated soldiers to the center of the battlefield. Dead bodies became more common than living ones the closer they got to the designated meeting point, and Ten noticed his father's mood dampening. </p><p>"Father, it's over. No one else will get hurt." He consoled him quietly. His words did nothing to ease the pain in the King's expression.</p><p>"If not for my persistence, no one would have suffered in the first place." </p><p>Ten didn't know what to say, so he hung his head and watched the soles of his father's shoes slap against the ground with confidence reserved only for the Gods. He nearly slammed into his father's back when the man stopped, and some of the soldiers snickered. </p><p>"Prince Doyoung, I believe you have a treaty you would like to discuss." </p><p>Ten peeked over his father's soldier like a young child. Seeing Doyoung, unscathed, and confident even when faced with defeat caused rage to flurry through his veins. He desperately wanted to punch the smirk off of his lips, and one of the guards shared his thoughts, scowling quietly. </p><p>He stepped back from his father's broad figure to approach the disgruntled guard. "Johnny?"</p><p>The guard snapped to attention. Ten watched as Johnny carefully removed his helmet, ruffling his hair to fix the greasy strands as if he didn't look effortlessly handsome no matter what he did. </p><p>"Hi, angel," Johnny greeted him, voice insecure. Ten didn't respond, too dazed by Johnny, Johnny alive, Johnny calling him sweet names, Johnny just breathing. Suddenly, he launched himself at the tall man, arms looping around his neck and legs scrambling for friction on his shiny armor. The obvious display left Johnny a bit shell-shocked, but when he noticed Ten's struggle, he grabbed the Prince's legs and pulled him closer. The King seemed amused by their spectacle, even more so by Doyoung's hatred towards it. </p><p>"Um, I think we have some talking to do later," Johnny whispered to Ten, very confused. Ten laughed, loud and clear and the happiest he's been in days. </p><p>"Yeah, we have some talking to do." </p><p>Ten hopped down from Johnny's hold and waited patiently for his father to finish discussing the treaty with Doyoung, who was bitterly staring at the couple. Ten was tempted to stick his tongue out but decided instead to save his last shred of dignity. The royals shook hands and bowed before Doyoung and his guards left, heads held high. </p><p>The King turned around and sighed, deep and relieving. He rubbed his eyes with his palm and examined the exhausted men standing pliant in front of him. "Let's go home," he said, and the soldiers, despite their aching limbs, threw their hands up in triumph. </p><p>Ten looked at Johnny, and whispered just so he could hear, "let's go home."  Johnny smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.</p><p>"I'll go wherever you go, Princey." </p><p>Ten giggled at that and looped Johnny's arm over his shoulder. The armor dug into the skin of his neck and the weight made him momentarily stumble, but knowing who was encased inside overpowered any discomfort, and he leaned further into the touch. </p><p>Sicheng graciously allowed Johnny to take his place in the crowded car, saying that his soldier would gladly take him home. Johnny nodded knowingly, and when Yuta ran up to hold Sicheng, he wolf-whistled at his new friend. Ten waved goodbye to Sicheng, and the couple slipped into the car behind a too quiet Jaehyun and an annoyed Kun. </p><p>Ten had an idea about why Jaehyun had yet to greet his best friend, but Johnny didn't and the confusion and hurt were evident in his distant eyes and furrowed brows. </p><p>Ten tapped the guard and murmured, "Jaehyun, I trust you." </p><p>Jaehyun exhaled, and replied, just as softly. "I don't trust myself." </p><p>The Prince nodded and leaned back, shrugging when Johnny glanced uneasily between the two. The ride back to the castle was silent, save for Kun's huffing and puffing that was slowly driving Ten insane. He was more than happy to escape the suffocating awkwardness of the car and jump onto his cozy bed. Johnny promised to join him later, walking to his own quarters to free himself of his sweaty armor and bask in the soft cotton of his favorite sweatpants. </p><p>True to his word, Johnny entered his bedroom around ten that night, shirt nowhere to be found. He looked nervous, standing in the Prince's doorway with his hands combing through his hair. Nervous didn't suit Johnny, Ten thought. </p><p>"I love you." Johnny blurted out, voice loud and pitchy. "I lied at the camp. I love you now, and I never stopped, but I tried too. I tried to hate you for so long and I just couldn't." </p><p>"Come lay with me." Johnny hesitated. "Please?" </p><p>"You know I can't say no to you," Johnny chided. Ten made grabby hands towards the giant, and Johnny fell into his arms, head resting above his sharp collarbones. Ten's gentle fingers nearly lulled him to sleep, but his next words had him jolting upright. </p><p>"My dad gave us his blessing." </p><p>"I'm sorry, he did what?" </p><p>Ten beamed. "He said we could be together." </p><p>"But what about your mom?" Johnny spluttered, cheeks more flushed than Ten had ever seen them.</p><p>"Oh, who cares about what she thinks. God, Johnny, just propose to me and get this over with." Ten rolled his eyes playfully, waggling his ring finger in front of Johnny's shocked face. Johnny leaned forward and bit the tip of his finger, and Ten pouted. </p><p>"I am not proposing to you until we work through some things, alright? But I promise I will do it. I promise I will make you mine forever." Johnny kissed the palm of his hand and intertwined their fingers. </p><p>"Forever sounds perfect." </p><p>Johnny chuckled and fitted himself in the contours of Ten's body, letting his eyes drift shut without worrying about waking up and running to the servants quarters the following morning. </p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. welcome to forever, johnny</h2></a>
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    <p>Johnny refused to be the bigger person, emotionally, at least. He knew he overstepped his boundaries with Ten the minute he accused him of cheating, and it made his stomach heavy. Almost a year passed since the war ended, and the King immediately removed Johnny from his post, allowing him to live freely in the castle. Jaehyun confessed his feelings to Johnny a week after they returned, being respectful of Johnny's relationship status. Johnny, of course, declined his friend and allowed him the space he needed to get rid off his feelings. </p><p>Now, Johnny wanted nothing more than to force Jaehyun to talk to him, even if just for a minute. True to Johnny's word, the couple began to work through some of their communication issues, each petty argument at a time. Usually, the fights lasted a solid five minutes before Ten was cuddled back into his chest. But this time, Johnny was exiled to his old room, his bed still there even when he wasn't. Jaehyun's clothes littered the floor, and he could have sworn there was a condom in the trashcan. He secretly missed the thrill of living with his best friend. </p><p>"I have to talk to him first, don't I?" Johnny asked the dog stuffed animal in his hands. He moved the fluffy head to nod and groaned. "Why do you have to do this to me, dog?" It didn't answer, and Johnny threw it to the floor with a huff. He slipped his slides on and padded to the stairs, taking two at a time and nearly sending his slide to an alternate universe. </p><p>When he slammed the door to the hallway open, he was not expecting to be face to face with his best friend, tears streaming down his cheeks and eyes puffy. Jaehyun was many, many things, but he wasn't an avid crier, preferring to use humor as his coping mechanism.</p><p>"Woah, Jae, what happened?" Johnny pulled him into the stairwell and shut the door. </p><p>Jaehyun laughed weakly and leaned his head against the wall. "Johnny, I don't know what you did to Ten, but you need to fix it before I commit treason." </p><p>Johnny's concerned frown hardened into a scowl. "Whatever he said to you was hurtful enough to make you cry. He can be upset with me, but he has no right to take it out on you." He carefully wiped the tears from Jaehyun's cheeks, forcing his friend to look at him with a hand gripping his chin. "Tell me what he said to you, Jae." </p><p>"You're going to apologize, right? I don't want to make it worse." </p><p>Johnny's grip tightened, and Jaehyun winced. "Tell me what he said to you." </p><p>"He said that I would never be good enough for you, no matter how hard I tried to get your attention." Jaehyun removed his face from Johnny's grip to rub at his eyes. "He said I needed to stop sleeping around with men because I would never be better than a Prince." </p><p>"Jaehyun, you are more than enough for me. You are not unworthy of love, and you are not unworthy of being seen as more than a sex symbol. My heart belongs to Ten, but that does not mean that you weren't good enough to be with me. You will find a man that can give you his entire world, and I will be right by your side making sure he doesn't hurt you." </p><p>Jaehyun was silent, the only sound being his unsteady breathing. "You better go, Johnny. I might fall for you all over again." Jaehyun chuckled, eyes drying and smile beginning to form. </p><p>"I love you, okay? And when you're ready, I'll be waiting for you." Johnny ruffled Jaehyun's curly hair and ascended the stairs. </p><p>"I love you too, dork!" Jaehyun called after him, and he laughed fondly. Internally, his body burned with the rage clawing at his throat, but Jaehyun didn't need to know that. Ten involved Jaehyun for the sheer purpose of upsetting him and Johnny refused to let it slide. He knocked on the Prince's door with an impatient fist, all empathy he harbored for his boyfriend drowned out in a sea of deeply rooted anger. </p><p>"Come to apologize?" Ten snapped when he opened the door. Johnny didn't respond, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind his shaking body. </p><p>"I was going to apologize." </p><p>Ten quirked an eyebrow, mouth set into a cocky grin that made Johnny want to throw him. "Was?"</p><p>Johnny matched his confident stare with his serious one, and he prided in the way Ten's grin faltered. "You had no right dragging Jaehyun into this. This is between us, not him. I refuse to apologize until you promise to say sorry to him."</p><p>Ten's egotistical expression disappeared. Johnny could only imagine what choice words were whirling through his mind. </p><p>"Also, what makes you think that Jaehyun is in any way beneath you?" Johnny scoffed. "I love you both, but in different ways. You will never belittle and ridicule my best friend and expect me to not call you out on your bullshit. The same goes for him. That's low for you, Ten, really low, to pick at someone's insecurities to make yourself feel better? C'mon, angel, I know you're better than that." Johnny's stoic tone softened as the pet name naturally rolled off his tongue. Ten locked his gaze on his feet, watching them swing from the bed while the guilt overrode his senses. </p><p>"I'll say sorry, I promise." He finally said. Johnny nodded and sat down next to his boyfriend, pulling the smaller male into an awkward side hug. </p><p>"I owe you an apology too, Princey. I know you wouldn't cheat on me now, and I'm sorry I accused you of that." Ten hummed and leaned further into Johnny's embrace. "I love you." </p><p>"I love you, too." Ten mumbled beneath him, and Johnny pressed a chaste kiss to his head. </p><p>"Good, because at midnight I'm taking you somewhere special." </p><p>"Does it have to be at midnight?" Ten whined, sitting up and jutting his bottom lip in a cute pout. Johnny kissed it away with a mischievous smirk and nodded. </p><p>"Yes, Ten, it has to be midnight. Better get your beauty sleep now." Johnny jumped up to avoid Ten's attack but yelped when a shoe hit the back of his head.</p><p>"Whatever, Johnny, not all of us can be naturally handsome." Ten rolled his eyes, and Johnny snickered. </p><p>"I love you," he whispered cheekily against Tens' lips, planting another soft kiss on his pout and fleeing from the room. </p><p>Ten met Johnny by the castle gates at 11:51 pm (not that Johnny was anxiously watching the clock or anything), dressed up in nothing more than Johnny's giant hoodie and sweatpants. Johnny wasn't much different, his hoodie replaced with a large jacket and some random white t-shirt that was Jaehyun's at some point. Johnny led Ten through the gates and into the nearly deserted city. He noticed briefly that Tens sweatpants were rolled about three times at the waist, and kept falling down his slender hips.</p><p>"That entire outfit is mine, isn't it?" Johnny asked, lips pulled into a teasing grin.</p><p>"I don't have to answer that question." </p><p>Johnny laughed and pulled Ten to his side by the strings of his (Johnny's) sweatpants. About ten minutes into their walk, Johnny stopped and retrieved a blindfold from the pocket of his pants. He gently tied it over Ten's eyes, cooing at his boyfriend's surprised squeak. The walk continued with Ten's dramatic dialogue about Johnny murdering him in the woods and hiding his body in the sewers. </p><p>Johnny didn't rebuke his suspicions, continuing his brisk walk. They arrived shortly at Johnny's destination, and Ten gasped when the blindfold lifted from his eyes. A magnificent cherry tree bloomed before them, petals scattered about the hilltop and flittering into the streets. Ten stood in awe of the tree until Johnny began to speak, his wavering voice filtering through the stunned silence. </p><p>"When my mom was sixteen, she waited at this cherry tree every day for the love of her life. She wanted to be proposed too under the pink petals at midnight, and she never got too. So now I'm here, with you, to do what he never got too." </p><p>Johnny retrieved the ring box from its safe place in his jacket and held it in his hands, feeling the navy blue velvet skate across his fingertips. He was about to choose his forever, and he looked at the sky, waiting for a sign from his mother that this was the right decision. </p><p>Ten's giggle drew his attention from the star-speckled sky, and Johnny instantly knew his mother approved. Sitting idly in Ten's messy hair was a beautiful pink petal, others held in his hands and falling to the ground at his feet. </p><p>"Thank you, Mom," Johnny whispered to the sky before kneeling and opening the box in front of Ten's stunned eyes. </p><p>"Let me love you until our hearts no longer beat, and our lips no longer speak each other's name." Ten's widened eyes became teary, hands opening to release the petals clutched in his fists. "Will you make me the happiest peasant alive and marry me, my Prince?" </p><p>"Of course I will," Ten sobbed, covering his teary face with his hands. Johnny laughed and gently pried his hands away to slide the ring onto his finger. It sparkled when it caught the midnight moon's smile and cast intricate reflections onto the blush petals. "God, Johnny, it's gorgeous. How did you-" </p><p>"The King gave it to me. He said it was the ring he planned on giving my mother." </p><p>Ten stared at Johnny's contorted features, from the crease in his brow to the frown on his lips. "Your mother would be so proud of you, Johnny." He assured his shaking fiance. Ten looped his arms around Johnny's neck and played with the hair on the nape to try and soothe the insecurities festering in his mind. He made a mental note to take Johnny to get his hair cut later. </p><p>"And your dad is proud of you, angel, never think otherwise."</p><p>Ten leaned onto his tiptoes to kiss Johnny's lips softly. "We have to go back to the castle, don't we?" He sighed, wanting to curl into Johnny's chest and sleep through the sunrise under the cherry tree instead. </p><p>"Absolutely not. We're engaged now, so we can do whatever we want."</p><p>"So, cuddles?" Ten prompted with a smile, already forcing Johnny to sit at the base of the tree. When Johnny was comfortably leaning against the roots, Ten plopped himself in his fiance's lap, head on his shoulder and legs hugging Johnny's thighs. Johnny's quiet singing lured his tired body into dreamland, mind drifting to a terrified prince with a ring that never found its rightful owner. </p><p>[ to be continued... ]</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. once upon a time...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Johnny attended one wedding since the day he was born, and it wasn't even someone he knew. His mother catered a wedding when he was five years old for a wealthy couple, and Johnny curiously tagged along. The radiant flowers and pretty dresses made him stare in awe. But now, on his wedding day, he wanted to throw up in the bouquets instead of marvel at them. </p><p>"Never thought I'd see the day where Johnny Seo willingly wore a tuxedo," Jaehyun snickered beside him, pulling at his tight suit. Johnny smacked his arm with a glare, hands clammy and sweat rolling down the dip of his spine. "You look hot at least, figuratively and literally." </p><p>"I can't tell if I'm going to pass out or shit myself." </p><p>Jaehyun gagged at the comment. "Great, but you couldn't have kept that to yourself?" </p><p>"As my best man, you are obligated to listen to me complain about my pass out shits and any other disgusting things I say," Johnny responded with a grin. </p><p>"I seriously wonder what Ten sees in you." Jaehyun rolled his eyes and adjusted his tie in the small mirror hanging from the bathroom door. </p><p>"If I remember correctly, you also saw something-"</p><p>Jaehyun smacked a hand over Johnny's mouth and grimaced at the slimy tongue that brushed against his palm. "Don't remind me of my past self. I was young and stupid." </p><p>Johnny mumbled something under his hand, but his voice was muffled. Jaehyun removed his hand only after giving Johnny a look that said: don't you dare mention that. Johnny, of course, didn't care for his best friends threats, having known him long enough that they were meaningless. </p><p>"That was only five months ago, Jae." </p><p>"I said don't remind me!" Jaehyun whined. "Also, we have two minutes to be at the end of that way too expensive alter." He added sheepishly, brushing a hand through Johnny's hair and patting his shoulder.</p><p>Johnny's eyes widened before the reality set in, and the two booked it to the garden. Johnny tripped over three chair legs on his way to the alter, apologizing to the guest sitting in them profusely and ignoring his vividly red cheeks. Jaehyun was seconds away from busting a lung on the aisle, face as red as Johnny's from controlling his laughter. </p><p>It was bittersweet for Jaehyun. </p><p>The venue was beautiful, as expected of a royal wedding, but Jaehyun found Johnny prettier than every flower in the room. He convinced Johnny that his feelings were fading and that being in his presence wouldn't hinder their disappearance. </p><p>It was a lie. </p><p>Seconds spent with Johnny felt like hours to his rapid heartbeat and fond smiles. Just standing next to him sent warmth to his stomach, all his adoration for the goofy giant pooling in his gut and ready to spill. But Jaehyun knew it was too late for him. If Johnny was happy, he told himself, he would be happy. </p><p>Overcoming feelings, however, could always use a bit of aid. Jaehyun's past months began with work and ended with a person under him, begging him for his body and typically succeeding. He was surprised to see his latest one-night stand in the front row, hair slicked back to expose his clear skin and tired eyes that locked onto Jaehyun. He waved shyly, and Jaehyun waved back, dimples on display. </p><p>"Who are you waving at?" Johnny asked, leaning closer to avoid any eavesdroppers. Although the guest list was exclusive, many reporters managed to wiggle their way into the venue, cameras ready to destroy reputations. </p><p>"Me? Just Taeyong. You remember him, don't you?" </p><p>Johnny scowled. "Since when do you talk to him?" </p><p>"Since I fucked him, I guess." Johnny choked on his saliva. "I wasn't planning on ever seeing him again, but fate works in funny ways."</p><p>Before Johnny could question his best friend further, the band straightened to attention. Johnny felt his suppressed queasiness bubble up again and hoped no one would notice how pale he became. The wedding march mingled with the sounds of guests rising to their feet, and the atmosphere settled. Ten stepped onto the flower path, roses scattered around his bare feet, and sticking to the train of his blush dress. His eyes sparkled under the starlight, glittery pink eyeshadow beautifully complimenting the natural blush on his cheekbones. Ten smiled, all soft curves and bright teeth, and Johnny fell in love all over again.</p><p>The King handed his son to Johnny at the end, wrinkled skin contrasting the smoothness of Ten's. He grabbed Johnny's wrist and intertwined the couple's hands, briefly nodding to Johnny in his way of approval before joining his unamused wife in the audience. </p><p>Johnny loved holding Ten hands, but the way his dress hugged his waist made him want to swallow his lover's frame with his own in a space far more intimate than the garden. The preacher began his speech, some sort of introduction from the words Johnny caught, but he paid no mind. Ten's smile had yet to dim, and up-close Johnny realized the bling in his irises was actually a reflection of the tiny diamonds bordering his waterline. </p><p>"I guess I'll go first since Johnny clearly has no idea what you just said," Ten giggled, the audience joining him. Johnny snapped from his daze and glanced at the preacher like a clueless puppy. Ten found it unbelievably endearing. "I love you, stupid, and not because you're attractive. Not because you're super sweet and understanding, not even because you love me like I'm your world. I love you because you let me be myself, even when I'm wrong. I love you because I can hurt your feelings over and over again and the smile on your face never goes away. You being undeniably hot is definitely a plus, though, I will not lie." Jaehyun snorted, and Ten smiled gratefully in his direction. "You love me when I'm the worst version of myself, and that's something no one has ever done for me. So, thank you." </p><p>"Don't cry, angel." Johnny cooed, wiping the tears from Ten's cheeks while being cautious of his make-up. "I have spent ten years of my life protecting you, and I am honored to be able to do it for the rest of our lives. You're my honeypot, my beautiful darling, my sweet kitten, my love, and now I stand up here to make you my forever." </p><p>Johnny vaguely remembered mumbling a very distracted "I do", remembered hearing Ten say the same, but he could vividly recall the feeling of silk beneath his fingertips and hands buried in his hair. Ten's waist fit in the palm of his hands like fate molded him perfectly for Johnny. Tens' lips slid across his own like they were driving through their childhood neighborhood, so familiar and so notalgic. </p><p>"Alright, hubby, time to show these weaklings how good I am at dancing." Ten pulled away with a wink and dragged Johnny down the aisle. The crowd cheered, and Johnny wanted to pause time at that moment forever, to feel the overwhelming joy until the day his heart no longer beat. </p><p>The reception that followed was loud and extravagant. Music echoed throughout the kingdom, people danced, drank, and talked until everything blended into a cacophony of sounds. Johnny received a well-deserved lapdance from Ten (and a joking one from Jaehyun, which Ten died laughing over), and was halfway to drunkville. Ten was completely sober, surprisingly, claiming he had to be the designated driver for his husband and his husband's shit-faced best friend. Johnny stumbled to Ten around midnight, latching onto the Prince like a toddler to his mother. The King jumped at the sudden intrusion but was otherwise unbothered by Johnny's presence. Kun, however, scoffed, clearly disgusted by the scene. </p><p>"I cannot wait to be king," he announced suddenly. </p><p>"Oh, yeah? And why is that?" Ten asked, twirling his glass of water. </p><p>"So I can get rid of you both as soon as possible. This type of public behavior is absolutely disgraceful to the throne." </p><p>Ten frowned. "Which behavior? The drinking or the gay part?" </p><p>Kun didn't respond, but his facial expressions spoke for him. </p><p>"No worries, Kun, they will not be a nuisance to you. I will see to it." The King smiled at his oldest son, and Kun sighed in relief. </p><p>"I knew you agreed, father. Thank you for understanding-"</p><p>"Because Ten will be taking the throne when I step down." </p><p>Ten and Kun choked in sync, both yelling a horrified: "What?" </p><p>The King laughed, grabbing at the table to support his own tipsy body. "I have decided to pass the throne to you, Ten. I think people need a leader that's better than I could ever be. You understand them, and Johnny is one of them." </p><p>Johnny stood upright at his name and saluted messily. "Yessir!" He shouted, his body sagging forward immediately afterward and almost taking the entire tablecloth to the floor. </p><p>"Thank you, father. I won't disappoint you." </p><p>The King smiled at Ten, face crinkled with fatherly fondness Ten hadn't seen in years. "I know you won't. Now, go! I'm sure the guests will understand why you two left, especially with dopey like this." The King pointed at the semi-conscious Johnny, and Ten nodded.</p><p>"See you tomorrow, dad!" Ten called behind him, sluggishly dragging Johnny to the door. The man's arm was thrown across Ten's shoulders, entire body weight resting on his much smaller husband. Ten nearly cried with relief when he finally threw Johnny onto their bed, stretching out his shoulders. Johnny had sobered up a bit from the cold air and the rustling of his body and could appreciate the way Ten undressed in front of him. The silk sleeves fell from his shoulders, skirt slipping past his hips, but quickly being replaced by a large hoodie and sweatpants. The outfit was identical to the one Ten wore on their engagement day, and the thought made Johnny giggle. </p><p>Ten rolled his eyes at Johnny's drunken mannerisms and cuddled into his side. The smell of alcohol made him recoil momentarily, but the warmth of Johnny's body and the steady rhythm of his heart drew him back in. </p><p>"So, when do you want to have kids?" </p><p>Johnny officially passed out. </p><p>[ and they lived happily ever after. ]</p>
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